Let the games begin!

As Esports rapidly grows in emerging markets like India, and worldwide, a few IT hurdles need to be cleared before winning this market

- Amit Singh

Esports and online multi-player games have exploded in popularity in the last decade. This industry is growing particularly fast in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, India, and Brazil, where internet user growth is much higher than Western countries. In North America, internet users have grown 125% from 2010 to 2020. In contrast, internet users in Asia have grown 305% during the same period. Tournament live streams are also creating massive audiences cheering for their favourite teams.

According to Newzoo, Esports viewers topped 495 million in 2020 and may reach 646 million by 2023. Furthermore, companies are pouring marketing funds into Esports through sponsorships and advertising. The global Esports market valued at USD950 million in 2020 may grow to USD1.6 billion by 2023. During the COVID19 pandemic, companies are expediting the process to provide high-performance online games and high-quality virtual Esports tournaments across the world.

This massive expansion has created IT challenges that need to be addressed to continue supporting growth. One of them is that multi-player games such as Fortnite, Warzone, and Apex Legends frequently push for mandatory updates. Also, players are required to update their video game before they start playing, unlike smartphone or app updates. This is for several good reasons: sometimes game-breaking bugs are discovered and exploited to give players an unfair advantage. Additionally, new maps, characters, or seasons are introduced to the game with added storylines or weapons, thus forcing players to update before they start playing.